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Applying Oil Finish

Joined
Nov 30, 2005
Messages
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Location
Mendota IL
There is a story by Mike Mahoney in the latest issue of WOOD. There is a quick paragraph about finishing with oil. It says something about several coats but the way it was written it seems like he is saying several coats one after the other, wet on wet. So I tried something new. Instead of applying one coat, wiping it off, letting it dry and applying another tommorrow, I applied a coat of oil about every 5 minutes for about 45 minutes, then wiped off the excess and let it dry. I then over the next few days applied 3 or 4 additional coats on dried surface. I got a much deeper shine and impressed myself. I don't have a buffing system yet so I just top off the oil with paste wax and shine it up with an old t-shirt. I use Formbys Tung oil, high gloss because it is available at my local hardware store.

How do others apply the oil wet on dry or wet on wet?

Frank

PS: What is the best way to support a piece while the oil or other finish dries? I have just set them on thier bottoms on wax paper. Paper towels seems to stick. It seems silly to do one side at a time.
 
applying oil, or not

I can't explain your success with your approach to applying the Formby's, but the proof is in the product. If it works, go with it!

I doubt that the Formby's tung oil finish is actually tung oil. It's probably a wiping varnish. It may have started out as tung oil (or not, some manufacturers use other types of oil that are much cheaper and just call the product tung oil), but once resins are added to speed the drying process it's varnish and it doesn't really matter if Formby's started with tung oil or sunflower oil.

If you tried this approach with real tung oil, I think you'd just end up with a sticky mess. But who knows?

As far as applying oil to all sides of a bowl at once--I usually grab a piece of dimensioned scrap out of my kindling box. A couple of 1x1s or whatever is handy and won't roll. Then I set the oiled bowl on those little stickers. Some oil transfers to the scrap wood, but air generally seems to circulate well and I don't end up with any stains or lumpy spots. Again, this works fine for oils and wiping varnishes, but probably would be a mess with lacquers and some other finishes.

Don
 
I agree with Don - Formby's seems to be a Wiping Varnish. But, whatever works! Mike Mahoney usually touts Walnut Oil - in fact he has his name on a Walnut Oil finish. And, the process makes more sense with W/O. As for setting the piece on something to dry, try putting several sharp nails (I like panel nails) in a piece of scrap and set your piece on the sharp ends. I use about 8-10 nails for a 3" based turning. All nails should be the same height to be effective.
Ed
 
Sounds like the directions on the shampoo container, what? "Lather, rinse, repeat." Trick is knowing to stop before you're bald.

Treating to refusal is what it is, though you're really not getting a lot more oil into your project than you would if you, as they used to say on Watco, flood the surface, keeping wet for 15 minutes, then wipe dry. If you did this with resin-free oil, you'd have long-term sticky. The "finish" has some resin in it to harden it, and probably some siccatives. While it's been some time since I used it, when I did, Formby's smelled of tung oil. People were giving the same bad rap then, so nothing's changed. "A rose..." as they say.

I'm in the no-oil days right now. Don't keep a fire in the stove because it would overheat the house, but it's not warm enough long enough to cure oil fully. Shellac time of year. Hot weather will get the oil flowing, but the accompanying humidity will make for long-term sticky. Oil things, put them in a big, heated box to cure.
 
MichaelMouse said:
Treating to refusal is what it is, though you're really not getting a lot more oil into your project than you would if you, as they used to say on Watco, flood the surface, keeping wet for 15 minutes, then wipe dry.

I like Watco and use it just like they say; keeping the surface very wet for about 15 minutes. After wiping I let it stand for 2 or 3 days (in low humidity). You can tell the progress of drying by the smell. Depending on the type of wood, I might do this three times. The trick is to know when to stop. If you leave it damp on the surface it remains sticky feeling. You can always wet sand this off using Watco as your lubricant though. There is a little time involved in this process but it is simple to do. There is no need for a clean room to work in either. Watco buffs out nicely with a wheel too. You end up with a warm woody glow rather than a plastic top coat.

- Scott
 
Ed Hangfire said:
I use about 8-10 nails for a 3" based turning. All nails should be the same height to be effective.
Ed
Try three nails in a triangle shape, as far apart as they can be to support the base. You won't have as much of a height difference issue. Lately, I have been dulling the tips though to minimize the marks they will leave.
 
The Real Thing

Thank Guys for the discussion. Is Watco oil the real thing, no driers etc in the mix?

I do use Mike's Walnut oil on items intended for regular food use or items that I am not looking for big gloss. I haven't been impress with the service life but maybe I just ain't getting enough in the wood. I may be putting it at a diadvantage by using the Deft then oil method. Recently I have abandonded the Deft with Tung oil and I thing I will try the Walnut oil without Deft on the next project.

Frank
 
Watco

Depends on which Watco product you're talking about, but basically the answer is "no." Watco Danish Oil is an oil/varnish blend.

I don't mean to trash these finishes. I have Watco Danish oil, Formby's tung oil, Minwax Antique Oil Finish, and a bunch of others in my cabinet and I use them on a variety of projects, from flat work to turnings. What bothers me is how misleading the manufacturers are. And here's the main point: you learn for example that tung oil has certain wear and waterproofing properties and then you go out and buy Formby's or a similar product and apply it, and then discover that it's not actually tung oil, even though it says so in letters 3" tall on the front of the can. I have learned that if I really want to use tung oil or teak oil, I can't go down to Lowe's and buy it off the shelf. It takes a purchase from a more specialized source. Mike Mahoney, Richard Raffan, and a lot of other turners use oils as a finish because they look good, are easy and quick to apply, and are easily renewed if the item is intended to be utilitarian. I doubt the same is true for wiping varnishes. They too look good and tend to be my preferred finish for display items, but I question their durability and renewability under daily use conditions.

There are probably numerous books on the topic, but one place to start is Understanding Wood Finishing by Bob Flexner. Spend an hour with that book and you'll get a lot of insight into what modern finishes really are and what they do.
 
I have been using Formby's Tung Oil Finish (gloss) for about a year. I like the fact that some of it soaks in and brings out the grain in the piece.

While I am not a finishing expert, my experience with this finish is that it does well in the warmer months. Once it has cured in the kiln (aka my garage) for about a month then the tung oil smell is pretty much gone.
 
Frank Kobilsek said:
Thank Guys for the discussion. Is Watco oil the real thing, no driers etc in the mix?

I do use Mike's Walnut oil on items intended for regular food use or items that I am not looking for big gloss. I haven't been impress with the service life but maybe I just ain't getting enough in the wood. I may be putting it at a diadvantage by using the Deft then oil method. Recently I have abandonded the Deft with Tung oil and I thing I will try the Walnut oil without Deft on the next project.

Watco has gone through a few changes in being bought and sold. Original used a phenolic resin, then it was alkyd, which is when I dropped it in favor of Antique Oil Finish. The new-new stuff is supposed to be the same as the original, though I haven't bought any lately. Probably safe to say that anything that cures in less than a week under other than hot/dry conditions has siccatives (driers) to help it along.

I'm a regular user of walnut oil for treen, but it does take a while to cure, that's for sure. I once bought some that wouldn't cure at all, only to discover that it had preservatives added to retard spoilage. Commercial stuff is extracted with solvents, which won't carry proteins to cause nut sensitives any worry, while the "organic" stuff is expeller pressed. According to Uncle Sam, any cured oil is ok in contact with food.

My can of Deftoil - which smells strongly of tung - was discarded long ago. I prefer the smell of linseed.
 
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